Machhiwara residents claim area neglected by authorities

A well-paved way is a long lost dream for residents of Machhiwara town, as the roads, which were dug for laying sewerage line, have not been repaired even after three years. As soon as you enter the town, the journey becomes a roller-coaster ride for commuters.

A well-paved way is a long lost dream for residents of Machhiwara town, as the roads, which were dug for laying sewerage line, have not been repaired even after three years.

As soon as you enter the town, the journey becomes a roller-coaster ride for commuters. Residents rue that authorities have done nothing in this regard and have turned a blind eye to their problems.

Even the sewerage project has been marred by controversies and the work is in the middle of nowhere. It is believed that the contractor in connivance with some senior officials of water and sewerage board did not complete the sewerage work and for this it is the residents who are paying the price.

Residents are a harried lot as several accidents have occurred due to pathetic condition of the road in the town. Rajinder Singh a resident said: “The condition of roads is pathetic. We live in hell-like settings and are waiting for the authorities to repair the roads as soon as possible.”

“No one has ever came to repair these uneven roads. Nagar council too has not done enough to repair the roads and sewerage has also not become functional so far,” Singh added.

Residents of this town are also upset with the state government which has failed to redress their genuine problems. They complained that things have remained confined to only promises made by ministers of different state governments but nothing concrete has come out so far.

Nagar Council of Machhiwara under Daljit Gill has remained inefficient in solving residents' problems.Pradeep Sharma, another resident of the area, said that the poor condition of roads and lanes in the town has made concerns of the authorities towards residents clear.

“The condition of roads is so bad that sometimes we walk on foot because these roads damage our vehicles and even cause accidents,” Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Daljit Singh who is the chief of Nagar Council said: “Tenders for construction of roads in the town will be floated soon so that residents do not face inconvenience in future.”

“The roads inside the town which comes under the nagar council would be repaired as soon as possible as we would float tenders on November 19 for the same,” Singh said.

He added that a vigilance inquiry has been marked to look into the discrepancies in sewerage line laying work by the contractor and subsequent problems being faced by residents.